preparing the illinois early childhood workforce: lessons ... · systematically reviewed proposal...
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13TH ANNUAL FOCUS ON ILLINOIS EDUCATION RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM
OCTOBER 8, 2015
Preparing the Illinois Early Childhood Workforce:
Lessons from a Study of Institutional Partnership Grants
Overview of Presentation
Early Childhood Workforce Christi Chadwick, (Governor’s Office of Early Childhood
Development)
Early Childhood Higher Education Grant Project Stephanie Bernoteit (Illinois Board of Higher Education)
2014-2015 Grantees: Early Implementation Study Brenda Klostermann (Illinois Education Research Council) Eric Lichtenberger (Illinois Board of Higher Education)
Grant Partnership and Program Change Insights Cathy Main (University of Illinois at Chicago)
Early Childhood Workforce in Illinois
The early childhood workforce in Illinois serves young children
in a variety of settings, under a variety of conditions, with varying degrees and credentials, and receiving a vast range of compensation.
Licensed Center: 30 Sem hrs, (6 in ECE)
Preschool for All: BA + ECE License/Endorsement
Example: Teachers
Head Start: 50% of teachers have BA in ECE
Licensed Center: HS Diploma
Preschool for All: Paraprofessional certificate
Example: Assistants
Head Start: CDA or Associates Degree
Early Childhood Workforce in Illinois
Strong push for all lead teachers to hold a Bachelor’s degree in early childhood, and for States to develop clear, stackable education pathways toward the degree
Recent Institute of Medicine report – “Transforming the Workforce” is being held as the “Blueprint” for EC for the next 10 years
However, our Registry data has shown us that for licensed centers (N=~32,00): - Less than 50% of teachers hold a Bachelors degree, and 20% hold no
degree or certificate
- Less than 17% of assistant teachers hold a Bachelor’s degree, and 64% hold no degree or certificate
- Significantly lower rates for those working with infants/toddlers and those in family child care
Early Childhood Workforce in Illinois
Illinois has a system of stackable credentials for early childhood educators, ranging from 12 hours to a Bachelor’s degree, with EC content Key for educators who often begin higher education with no
clear plan for how far they will continue on the education pathway
However, as student move along the pathway, they often face challenge articulating coursework from and among two and four year institutions
Credentials seen as a unifying element to develop stronger systems across higher education institutions
Goals of the EPPI Grant Initiative
Develop models of effective early childhood educator preparation
Foster partnership development between two- and four-year preparation programs and other community-based organizations
Promote articulation
Incorporate Gateways entitlement
Support ECE programs is designing curriculum to incorporate new program requirements
Build capacity in key areas of need (e.g., Bilingual/ESL, early math learning, special education)
Create opportunities for innovation program implementation
2014-2015 Grant Process
Partners included OECD, The Center: Resources for Teaching and Learning, IBHE, ISBE, ICCB, HELP, and others
First Round – 2014-2015 Applications from institutions across sectors and all regions of
the state
Grantees include 35 institutions engaged in partnership – 12 public and private universities and 23 community colleges
$545,000 in awards from RTT ELC funds – ranging from $39,000 to $48,000
February 2014 through January 2015
2014-2015 EPPI Grant
Partnerships
35 institutions from across the state
12 public and private universities
23 community colleges
Purposes of the Early Implementation Study
Examine the initial implementation of proposed grant activities
Identify barriers
Identify catalysts
Consider sustainability of the grants’ impact
IERC Methodology
Systematically reviewed proposal narratives for each project
Developed interview protocol
Conducted the interviews
Coded responses
Analyzed responses for overarching themes and sub-topics as well as their relationship to partnership development theory (McQuaid, 2009)
Interview Questions
Focused on major goals and activities associated with each project Barriers to implementation Catalysts and levers allowing for implementation Innovations and enhancements to articulation Program/curricular enhancements Real and potential impacts
Partners’ progress in the implementation process Ways in which new standards and program
requirements were being met Articulation Overall
Overall thoughts about the grant process
Coding Structure for Responses
Guided by interview
protocol
Overarching goals of the implementation project
Each theme had between two and six sub-topics.
Catalysts
Provided movement
towards goal attainment
Many adopted from McQuaid’s (2009)
Often a response or reaction to a historical or contextual barrier
Catalysts
Shared Values- “Previously these discussions have been an institutional focus, now they are focused around the students.”
Capacity for Cooperation- “The opportunity to meet face to face was great. Communicating with them via email is one thing, but gaining an understanding of them as people and knowing their teaching styles was extremely beneficial.”
Grant Provided Impetus-“ The grant was the ‘dike’ to hold off other responsibilities/commitments for a short time to focus on grant activities.”
Mediating Impacts
Already budding, direct
result from grant
Precursory in nature
Framework for long-term impacts
Major Findings
Most of the partnerships were moving towards achieving their grant-related goals.
The grants had a fairly large positive impact, particularly in terms of: partnership development; enhancing articulation pathways between the partners; integration of the Gateways Credentials into programs
and into the transfer process. Some of the themes and sub-topics identified from the
interview responses were mirrored key ideas within partnership development theory, as described by McQuaid (2009).
Identified barriers were often wedded to a catalyst
Ideas for Enhancing Partnerships
Frame discussions and goals using a student-centric approach.
Include necessary players at the table. Rotate meeting sites, at times hold meetings in
informal settings. Integrate community-based entities into the
partnership. Increase within-institution communication Use technology to supplement traditional face-to-face
meetings and enhance the flow of information between partners.
Early Collaboration: Illinois Project on Early Childhood Teacher Preparation (AECTP)
Provide multiple entry (e.g., pre-service and in-service) and exit (e.g., CDA, associate’s, bachelor’s, ece credential, Illinois licensure) points;
Provide flexibility to attract high-quality students and support high-need students; and
Build capacity to prepare teachers to work with children across the birth to 8 age range, in diverse settings.
UIC/CCC EPPI Original Project Goals
Map several paths to successful completion of the BA at UIC via the City Colleges of Chicago assuming a diverse pool of applicants with varying interests, strengths and challenges.
Identify and/or design courses (if needed) that can be transferred from partner programs into UIC BA program.
Identify and organize existing programs and initiatives at collaborating institutions to create a sustainable, data-driven student support network that provides transition planning, academic advising, academic and psychological support, and resource attainment guidance.
Develop shared student materials regarding the support network and the logistics of transition attainment of degrees, credentials, and licensure.
Challenges Along the Way
Learning one another’s language “Newness” of UIC BA program in HDL Articulation agreements versus transfers Administrative barriers Time turnarounds Not always having the right players at the table
Describing and mapping our vision
Reality: Where We Are Now
Completing alignment of all programs with with Il Gateways credentials
Reviewing existing student support structures at all institutions
Development of online courses
Development of shared marketing materials (advising guides, website)
Future Plans to Build On and Sustain Program Innovation Work
Data collection: System development to include data collection on identification of students, program completion, program transfer, number and type of credentials entitled, use and effectiveness of support systems.
Student Recruitment Plan: Develop a plan for dissemination of program information and early identification of students for transfer to four-year programs.
Course Delivery: Development of multiple modalities for course delivery to better meet needs of students (e.g. online options, Saturday fast track session, etc.)
Model Practicum Site(s): Identification and supports for model practicum sites shared across programs.
Competency Equivalency: Investigation into models and program designs to consider work and life experiences.
The Early Childhood Educator
Preparation Program Innovation Grant: Lessons from Initial Implementation (Lichtenberger, Klostermann
&Duffy, 2015)
http://ierc.education/our-
research/publications/
Stephanie Bernoteit [email protected] Christi Chadwick
[email protected] Brenda Klostermann
[email protected] Eric Lichtenberger
[email protected] Cathy Main
For More Information
Online Report Presenters